A note from TheBody.com: Since this article was written, the HIV pandemic has changed, as has our understanding of HIV/AIDS and its treatment. As a result, parts of this article may be outdated. Please keep this in mind, and be sure to visit other parts of our site for more recent information!

Contact: José Zuniga
(202) 986-1300, Ext. 3042

WASHINGTON, DC -- AIDS Action, the nation's foremost AIDS advocacy organization,
today announced its unequivocal support for the standard of AIDS care guidelines
to be released tomorrow at a National Institutes of Health (NIH) press
conference. AIDS Action stressed, however, that for the guidelines to be
meaningful there needs to be an increased federal commitment to getting AIDS
drug therapies into the hands of all Americans living with HIV and AIDS.
Specifically, AIDS Action called for the expansion of Medicaid eligibility to
people in early stages of HIV infection, and for increased funding for the AIDS
Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) and for all other Ryan White CARE Act programs.

"We now have guidelines instructing physicians on how best to use the promising
AIDS drug therapies that have so dramatically improved the lives of so many
Americans affected by HIV and AIDS," said Daniel Zingale, AIDS Action's
executive director. "AIDS Action calls on the federal government to ensure that
the new hope that combination therapies with protease inhibitors represent -- a
hope these guidelines authenticate -- can touch the life of every American living
with HIV and AIDS."

Advertisement

AIDS Action originally proposed its Medicaid expansion initiative over three
months ago to Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) and Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) officials, citing current Medicaid eligibility
criteria as contradictory to AIDS clinical evidence and care standards which
call for early treatment of HIV disease. While over 53 percent of all Americans
with AIDS rely on Medicaid for access to health care, many low-income people
with HIV are denied that access. People with HIV are ineligible for Medicaid
unless the Social Security Administration declares them disabled -- which usually
follows diagnosis with full-blown AIDS. Vice President Gore endorsed AIDS
Action's Medicaid initiative in April and called on HCFA to report on the
feasibility of a Medicaid expansion demonstration project within 30 days. That
report has yet to be released.

State ADAP programs are facing a $132 million budget shortfall this year, which
has forced many states to limit their drug formularies or deny coverage for some
people. In Mississippi, for example, 640 people with AIDS -- or 80 percent of the
Mississippi ADAPs enrollees -- were dropped from ADAP earlier this month. AIDS
Action has been fighting to get Congress to appropriate emergency funding for
beleaguered ADAPs. An attempt earlier this month to attach ADAP supplemental
funding to a disaster relief bill was defeated after the Clinton administration
failed to request the additional funding citing no evidence that an ADAP budget
crisis exists.

"The ADAP budget crisis directly threatens thousands of people with AIDS across
the country. At a moment's notice, these individuals may be unable to access the
treatments they require to remain alive and healthy," Zingale said. "We cannot
afford the human toll that would be exacted by turning back the clock on
progress. These guidelines represent progress. Now we must make progress on
resolving the inequities that exist in access to life-prolonging drugs for
people with HIV and AIDS."

The new standard of AIDS care guidelines were developed by the Panel on Clinical
Practices for Treatment of HIV Infection convened by the Department of Health
and Human Services (HHS) and the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. The
distinguished panel of scientists and HIV/AIDS treatment experts included AIDS
Action Legislative Representative Gary Rose, and several representatives of AIDS
Action community-based member organizations, among them Spencer Cox and Mark
Harrington of the Treatment Action Group (TAG) and Celia Maxwell of the AIDS
Education and Training Centers (AETCs).

AIDS Action is the nation's foremost AIDS advocacy organization, representing
all Americans affected by HIV and AIDS and over 1,400 community-based
organizations that serve them.

A note from TheBody.com: Since this article was written, the HIV pandemic has changed, as has our understanding of HIV/AIDS and its treatment. As a result, parts of this article may be outdated. Please keep this in mind, and be sure to visit other parts of our site for more recent information!

The Body is a service of Remedy Health Media, LLC, 750 3rd Avenue, 6th Floor, New York, NY 10017. The Body and its logos are trademarks of Remedy Health Media, LLC, and its subsidiaries, which owns the copyright of The Body's homepage, topic pages, page designs and HTML code. General Disclaimer: The Body is designed for educational purposes only and is not engaged in rendering medical advice or professional services. The information provided through The Body should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem or a disease. It is not a substitute for professional care. If you have or suspect you may have a health problem, consult your health care provider.